Graduate jobs · 5 min read
How do I write a graduate CV?
How to write a graduate CV in the UK: the order of sections, turning modules and a dissertation into evidence, part-time work as results and the two-page rule.
The short answer
A graduate CV leads with education and the evidence inside it: your degree, expected or final classification, two or three modules or a dissertation relevant to the job, and any prizes. Then part-time work, placements and society roles, each written as what you achieved rather than what you were called. Two pages at most, no photo, no date of birth, a short profile that names the kind of role you want. Every line should answer something the advert asked for.
Key takeaways
- Order: contact details, three-line profile, education with relevant modules and dissertation, experience, skills, interests.
- Write experience as results: "handled 200 customers a shift and trained two new starters" beats "customer service duties".
- A dissertation is a nine-month project with a deadline, a method and a finding. Describe it that way.
- Tailor the profile and the module list to each application. The rest can stay the same.
On this pageThe layout, section by section
The layout, section by section
| Section | What goes in it | How much |
|---|---|---|
| Contact | Name, phone, email, city, LinkedIn if it's up to date | Two lines |
| Profile | What you studied, what you can do, what you want | Three lines |
| Education | Degree, grade, relevant modules, dissertation, prizes; then A levels | A third of a page |
| Experience | Placements, part-time jobs, internships, volunteering, as results | Half a page or more |
| Skills | Software, languages, methods you can actually use | Three to five lines |
| Interests | Only ones that show something: a team, a long project, a position | Two lines |
Turning the degree into evidence
A module title tells the reader nothing. "Quantitative Methods (72%): built a regression model in R predicting footfall for a local retailer" tells them you can do a thing they need. Pick the two or three modules closest to the advert and give each one line with a grade and an output. Treat the dissertation as your first project: the question, the method, the result in a number if there is one, and one thing that went wrong and how you handled it.
Part-time work is experience
Three years in a supermarket, a bar or a call centre is three years of being reliable under pressure, handling money and difficult people, and often training others. Graduate recruiters say they value it; the Institute of Student Employers lists work experience of any kind among the strongest predictors of a good hire. Write it as results and responsibilities, not duties. "Key holder, opened the shop alone on Sundays" says more than "retail assistant".
Five mistakes that cost interviews
- A generic profile that could sit on any CV in your year.
- Listing every module you took instead of the three that matter for this job.
- Describing jobs by their title and duties, with no result or number anywhere.
- Skills you can't demonstrate in an interview, especially "advanced Excel".
- A third page.
Illustrative example: one CV, two versions
An English graduate applies for a marketing assistant role and a publishing editorial assistant role in the same week. Both CVs share the same education and job history. The marketing version leads with a module on digital media and the society's Instagram account she grew from 200 to 1,400 followers. The publishing version leads with the dissertation, a proofreading job for the student paper and reading speed. Same person, two true stories, both get interviews.
What happens to the gaps
Applying shows you what employers want that you can't show yet: a must-have your CV doesn't mention, or a question you couldn't answer well. Hand the job from OffLadder CV to Laddie, our AI coach, and it turns each one into three steps:
- Learn the skill: a short lesson on what the post asks for, starting from the basics.
- Try the work: a 15-minute task taken from the job itself, so you have a real example to talk about.
- Practise the interview: a five-question mock interview for that role, weighted to the parts you're least sure of.
The conversation stays in your OffLadder account. Once you've done the work, add it to your CV in your own words, and the next post you tailor for can point to it.
Questions people ask
- How long should a graduate CV be?
- One page if you have little beyond your degree, two if you have placements, part-time work and society roles worth describing. Never three. UK employers expect two pages for experienced hires, and a graduate who needs more than that is padding.
- Should I put my A level grades on a graduate CV?
- Yes, briefly, for the first few years after graduating. Some schemes still screen on UCAS points, and strong A levels in maths or sciences are evidence for numerate roles. GCSEs can shrink to "10 GCSEs at 9 to 6 including English and maths". Drop both once you have two or three years of work.
- Should I include my degree classification if it's a 2:2?
- Yes. Leaving it off makes a reader assume the worst, and many employers no longer screen on it. Put it plainly and let the rest of the CV, especially a strong dissertation grade or a relevant placement, make the argument.
- Does a graduate CV need a personal statement?
- A short profile, three lines at most, saying what you've studied, what you can do and what you're looking for. Not a paragraph about being a motivated team player. The profile is the one part you rewrite for every application, so it should mention the field or role by name.
Exercises are practice, not evidence of career fit or a qualification. How to read our guides and report a correction.
Sources
- How to write a CV · Prospects
- Student Recruitment Survey 2025 · Institute of Student Employers
How this page is written
Sources support the factual background, not a guarantee that an exercise predicts career fit. Fictional practice material is labelled. Dates record content updates; no independent expert review is implied. More about OffLadder.